Self-adjusting glove-stretching form.



A. K. MARTELL L F. WATERFIELD.

SELF ADIUSTING GLOVE STHETCHING FORNI.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I2. Iglu?.

l 5% E; 9. Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Fhl FFQE.

MDREN K. MARTELL AND .FRANK WATERFIELD, GF LGS ANGELES, CALFGRNIA,ASSIGNORS TO A .Flalll'LrIni MONHOF, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

'SELF-ADJUSTING GLOVE-STRETCHING FORM.

-v Stretching Forms, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates `primarily toa form for` use in cleaning glovesand the object thereof is to provide a device for this purpose which canf serted within the glove to be cleaned, which be easily and quickly inwill automatically adjust. itself tothe size of such glove and whichwill hold the glove in its natural shape while being cleaned and whiledrying.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will becheap and simle in construction and which can be easily Yand quicklypositioned for use or withdrawn -fromits position of use without injuryor damage to the glove.

Other objects and uses will appear hereinafter and while we have shown,and will describe our preferred form of construction and operation itwill be understood that we do not limit ourselves to struction oroperation, but that various changes and adaptations may be made ineither the construction or operation,- or both such construction andoperation without departing from the spirit of our invention.

7e accomplish these objectsby the device described hereinand'illustrated inthe accompanying drawings forming a part hereof inwhich:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of kour complete form.

Fig. 2 is a sideA elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line3&8 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of the thumb hinge. v Fig. form.

5 is an enlarged detail ofv a modified Referring to the drawings ourform comprises substantially a sheet metal glove, divided longitudinallyof its width into a back member 10 and a front memberll, the adjacentedges of said members being spaced apart a short distance for a purposehereafter described.

Near the upper end ofeach fingerzportion Specification of LettersPatent.

such form. or con-- Y andmidway its length a socket 25 in will ride over1n its closed Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

`Application led March 12,Y 1917. Serial No. 154,108.

of the back and front members respectively are provided sockets 15 and16 which register with each other and have mounted therein the free endsof a V-shaped kconnector ,spring member 17, withtheclosed endthereof'extendinginwardly, andnear the lower vend or wrist portion ofsaid members are similar sockets 18 and 19 kand in these sockets aremounted the ends of a tl-shaped connector spring member 20 with the apexthereof extending inwardly. The ends vof these connector members projectthrough said sockets a short distance and are bent after beingpositioned to prevent accidental displacement. 1t will be noticed thatthese springs serve the double purposev of con- .necting the partstogether and of furnishing the required expansive means for stretchingthe glove when positioned thereon. These springs are initially formed ofa sizeand shape suiiicient to hold the device at its extreme expandedposition, which position will be somewhat larger than the size of theglove it is intended to be used with, so that any size of glove withinits limits when mounted thereon will be always held under tension.

Mounted upon the front member in the usual position is a thumb member.This thumb member is divided.longitudinally in a plane parallel with theplane of division of the back and front members, into a front Y member12 and a rear member 13, said rear member being connected to the front.member 11 by a hinge 1%, (best shown in Fig. 3).

Like sockets and connector springs are provided for the thumb members.Back member y10 has provided centrally thereof which is mounted a springmember 26, the ends 27 f and 28 of which bear against the inner op- Yposed face of front member 11. This last spring may be omitted ifdesired. A locking tongue 29 is formed in the wrist portion of the frontmember by slitting both sides and one end of a narrow strip and thenbending the strip thus formedinwardly at right an- -gles and forming aV-shaped catch 30 on the free end thereof. A similar locking strip 31.is formed in the wrist portion of the back memberand has the free endthereof bent upwardly to form a catch 32 for engagement with catch 30whereby when the front and back portions are drawn together, catch 30catch 32 and hold the device position, it being understood that thesejlocking members will be sufficiently rigid to hold the partsagainst thestrength of the connector springs.

In F ig. 5 we have shown a modified form of connection. In this formwe'rsecure on the inner face of the finger portion a stud and on theopposedftace'ot the other member we provide a socket 36 adapted toslidably receive said stud, and a coil spring 37 is coiledaround saidstud and socket to provide means for expanding the form.

In operation when it is desired to insert the form within a glove to becleaned, the form will be compressed between the thumb and lingers ofthe operator; or in` any other suitable manner. The fingers will then beinserted within the lingers of the glove to be cleaned.- The thumbmember will then L be movedion its hinge to the position shown in Fig. 2and the thumb of the glove drawn thereon. The balance of the glove willthen be drawn over the form the form will then be released and thespring members will cause the form to expand until the glove isstretched to its normal shape and size.

After the glove has been washed or otherwise cleaned the form may behung with the open end upward'bymeans of the per forations in the wristportion. l

Suitable clamping means may be provided for clamping the form in itsclosed position if found desirable;

Having described our invention what we Y claim is l. As a. new articleof manufacture a glove form comprising a back member and a front member,mounted in parallel relation but spaced apart, exible means connestingsaid members together in a normally expanded position; and a thumbmember hingedly connected to one of said members. d

2. A 'love stretcher comprising a form in the siape of a glove, saidform being composed of two members, one of said members being the backand the other the front portion thereof, said portions Vbeing mountedinv parallel relation and yieldably connected together but spaced apartwhereby said members may be moved 'toward each otherfor insertion withina glove; and

tiexible Vconnections between said portions.l

3.V A glove stretcher comprisingl a'itorm in the shape of a glove, saidform being composed of a front and a back member,

yieldably connected ,togetherv but spaced apart; yieldable connectionskbetween said members adapted to normallyV hold saidA members in theirspaced relation; and a thumb member' hingedly connected to said frontmember7 said thumb comprising a front and a back member yieldably connnected together but spaced apart; Vand flexible. connections betweensaid thumb meinbers adapted to normally hold the same'in llapsedposition. -v

their spaced relation; and means to hold said first mentioned members intheir col- 4t. As a new article of manufacture a glove stretchercomprising a front and a` back member mounted in parallel relation butspaced apart; flexible connections between said members adapted to holdsaid members in their spaced Vparallel relation; athumb member hingedlyconnected to said front member, saidv thumb member compiisingtwoparallel members adjustably connected together.V g A Y 5. A, selfVadjustable glove Y stretching foi-m comprising a front member. and aback member connected togetherA iniparallel relation but spaced apart;exibl'eiconnections between said members; whereby'said members areadapted to be moved toward each other; a thumb member hingedly; securedto said "'trOntmember; said thumb member comprising parallel front andback menibei's'spaced apart and exible 'connections therebetween. Y n YV(3. As a newv article of manufacturev a glove form comprising asubstantially hollow form in the shape of a glove, said form beingcomposed of two members each'comprising one half of said form and beingspaced apart; iiexible connections between said members whereby saidmembers may be drawn toward or away lfrom each other. 7. As a newarticle of -manufacture a glove stretching form comprising a hollowcasing substantially glove shaped, said casing being composed ofa'rfront and a back member each forming substantially one half "of saidcasing-but spaced apart; spring connections between said front and backmeml. bers :adapted to normallyV hold said memtoward eachother; a thumbmember hinge edlyconnected to said front member', said thumb memberbeing composed ot a .front and a back member; andspring connectorsbetween said members. Y

9; As anew article of manufacture; a gloveormcomprising Ya back memberand a front member mounted parallel to each other but spaced apart;connecting Vmeans Jfor said members adapted to retain said members inparallel relation andto normally hold said members spaced theiry maximum distance apart and to permit' variation of said spaced relation; anda thumb member pivotally mounted upon one of said members.

l0. s a new article of manufacture a glove form comprising a back memberand a front member mounted parallel to each otherl but spaced apart;connecting means for said members adapted to permit relative transversemovement only, and to normally Copiez o this patent may be obtained forhold said members in their maximum eX- panded position; and a thumbmember piv- 10 otally mounted upon one ofsaid members. In witness thatwe claim the foregoing we have hereunto subscribed our names this QSilhda)7 .of February, 1917.

ANDREW? K. MARTELL. FRANK -WASI.ERFIELD,

five cents each, by addressing 'che Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

